By Cameron Enomoto | Staff Writer

Lauren Renee is a 20-year-old student from Cincinnati, Ohio. After graduating from high school, she took a gap year and focused on her interests to figure out what careers she would be interested in. She moved to Hawaiʻi at the beginning of 2022 and is currently in her first semester at KCC. While her major is undecided, Renee is hopeful that she will find inspiration in the future.

“I had no idea what I wanted to do after high school,” said Renee. “All of my friends went to fancy schools on the East coast and I didn’t feel like I belonged anywhere.”

Renee recalls her gap year as being a difficult but insightful transition.

“I had support from my family and a lot of them encouraged me to do something new and see the world,” said Renee. “I always wanted to visit Hawaiʻi and being able to live here now and go to school here is such a blessing.”

During her free time, Renee enjoys finding hole-in-the-wall shops and exploring the town. Her favorite food is saimin and she loves listening to lo-fi music while walking.